Takumi Nakamura prevail in Round 1 heat at Murasaki Quiksilver Jeju Open of Surfing
Japan’s Takumi Nakamura confirmed his place in the second round (Round of 16) at the inaugural Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 2-Star Murasaki Quiksilver Jeju Open of Surfing following his exquisite performance for a comprehensive victory in the
fourth heat of Round 1 (Round of 32) that went down at Jungmun Beach in Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, on Friday, June 15.
Japan’s Nobuyuki finished just below Nakamura in second place to accompany the latter into the second round. Their fellow countryperson Kaisa Kawamura finished in third place, which resulted in his premature exit from the competition.
It was only a matter of time before ASP took notice of the love that the Korean people had for surfing. After a decade of events in the region, a Korean surfing event finally got sanctioned by ASP this year. The latest ASP 2-Star event caught the interest
of both local and international surfing talent, who flew from around the world to compete against each other for the US$5, 000 and up to 500 ASP ranking points that were on offer.
The first day of the competition saw ideal surfing conditions prevailing at Jungmun Beach. The one-to-three foot waves were sure to provide plenty of potent scoring opportunities for the surfers, while the sunny weather was bound to charge up the atmosphere
and fill both the surfers and crowd with enthusiasm.
The fourth heat of Round 1 pitted Nakamura against Osawa and Kawamura in a three-man battle for the Round 2 spot.
As the battle got underway, Nakamura immediately began to exude confidence and exhibit his comfort with the waves on offer. The Japanese surfer locked a juicy wave in the opening minutes of the heat to unleash a flurry of tricks, earning a 9.00 for the effort.
Keeping the momentum going, he went on to back it up with a 6.50-point ride, moving to a heat-total of 15.50 points. The performance remained unmatchable throughout the course of the battle, keeping him well ahead of his rivals on the score-board until the
end to eventually seal the deal in his favour.
Osawa collected a couple of scores in the five point range for a heat-total of 10.80 points. The effort proved sufficient to put him in runner-up place, thus making him part of the Round 2 line-up.
Kawamura opened his account with a 5.50-point ride and later scored a 4.70 off his second business-wave to finish with a heat-total of 10.20 points. The score led to his third-place finish, consequently bringing the competition to a premature end for him.
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